Falmouth, September 2024. A South West Water meter reader discovered the property was losing around 30 litres a minute. With the stop valve shut off, a family with two young children had no water at all. The enquiry arrived at half past three on a Friday afternoon; we attended at 9am the next morning.
The problem: no water, small children, Friday afternoon
This is the emergency version of a mains leak. At roughly 30 litres a minute the loss was far too big to leave running, so the supply had been shut at the stop valve, which solved one problem and created another: a young family facing a weekend with no running water. Most trades' weeks end at Friday half past three. Leaks do not.
Finding it: next morning, first thing
We took the enquiry that afternoon and attended at nine the next morning. Underground mains leaks at this scale are located with the standard toolkit, acoustic listening and tracer gas on the supply run, and pinpointing it quickly meant the repair could be made at one spot and the water turned back on rather than the family waiting out the weekend dry.
What this job shows
- A meter reader's discovery is a gift, act on it the same day. If South West Water has flagged unusual usage at your home, our guide to what to do when South West Water says you have a leak walks through the steps.
- Families without water jump the queue. Friday afternoon to Saturday 9am is what fast response actually means.
- Big losses are usually the supply pipe. That is our mains water leak detection service, and it exists for exactly this scenario.
Got a leak that needs finding?
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